pages of shadows
by Melissa Mendelson
Summary: The disappearance of a Best Selling Author leads Malone and his team to a previous disappearance and a case followed by the B.A.U.


Pages of Silence

By, Melissa Rachel

"_**A victim is never freed from their pain until they free themselves from it**_." M.

Damien Kitchard's Residence 

Headlights pierce the darkness as a car pulls up into a driveway. The ignition is cut, and the driver side door is thrown open a moment later. The sound of keys jingle in the night air as white sneakers crunch down onto gravel and then slowly move over to a green lawn. A pair of brown eyes ponders why the house is shrouded in darkness still, and the man moves further away from the car and toward his home.

"Mom?" The man realizes that the front door is unlocked and half open. "Mother?" He cautiously steps inside. "Mom!"

"Damien Kitchard?"

Hearing an unfamiliar voice near him, the man turns just in time to be struck in the face by something heavy and cold. He crumbles to his knees as a shadow moves in front of his face. He looks up to see someone dressed in black standing before him.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He looks around. "Where's my mother?"

"You are found guilty." A silver gun is now pointed at Damien's head. "Your sentence is death."

Before Damien can react, the man fires a bullet into one of his eyes. Standing over his twitching body, the man shoots another bullet into his other eye. Two shiny pennies flicker with light as the man's gloved hand places each coin over the holes, where Damien's eyes were a moment ago.

Kelly Alexus's Apartment 

Police break down the door to Kelly Alexus's apartment. Their guns are held out in front of them. Seeing nobody in the living room or kitchen, they move on to the bedroom, but they still find nobody home.

Pushing open the bedroom door, the police notice a patch of red on the green carpet. Slowly moving inside, their eyes zoom in on a book nailed to the wall by a hunting knife. Blood drips down the cover of the title, _Strangers on the Street_.

**Paul Donald's Residence**

Paul Donalds jogs around his block early morning. He stops to stretch his legs. Checking his pulse, he jogs in place before heading home.

Jogging up the steps to his house, Paul finds his door unlocked and half open. He pushes the door fully open as he cautiously peers inside. Stepping into the house, he closes the door behind him.

"Paul Donalds?"

As he turns toward the voice, something heavy and cold strikes him in the face. He crumbles to his knees as someone moves in front of him. As his eyes water, he tries to focus on a man dressed in black.

"Paul Donalds, you have been found guilty."

"What… What is this?"

"Your sentence is death." The man shoots Paul in one eye and then in the other. "Your sentence is hereby fulfilled." The man places coins over the holes, where Paul's eyes were. "My job is done for today." The man's black shoes move away from the body.

**Kelly Alexus's Apartment**

F.B.I. Agents Jack Malone and Vivian Johnson walk under the police tape and into Kelly's apartment. They look around at the police officers, who are dusting for prints. Their attention moves on down to the bedroom, where the police are examining the knife still holding the book into the wall.

"So, what do we have?" Jack turns to look at one officer.

"We received a 911 call an hour ago about a fight here. We answered that call, and when we entered the apartment, we found nobody home."

"Except for that knife hurled into the wall?" Vivian looks at the officer.

"Yeah, that and the stain of blood over there." He gestures to the red patch on the carpet nearby.

"Any idea what the fight was about?"

"No, but the neighbor said it sounded like a struggle."

"Okay. Viv, talk to the neighbor. I'll see what I can find here." Jack watches her go.

"It's something, isn't it?"

"What would that be?" He turns to look at the officer.

"That book is the number one best seller right now. Who would want to throw a knife through it?"

"That's a good question." Jack turns to look at the knife. "Who would want to hurt the author?" His gaze settles on a picture of Kelly nearby.

**B.A.U. HQ**

Special Agent Aaron Hotchner stands before his team in the briefing room. There is a picture of Damien Kitchard on the board behind him along with a picture of Paul Donalds. Both men's faces are dark with blood as Aaron gestures at them and points to the pennies that shine as their eyes. "Damien Kitchard's body was found around one a.m. in his Long Island residence, and Paul Donalds's body was found an hour ago by his neighbor in his Westchester community."

"So, we have the same killer, but two different locations." Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan rubs his chin. "Why did he use pennies, though?"

"Putting coins in the eyes of the dead was part of a burial rite in Ancient Greece." Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid turns to look at Morgan.

"He gave the men the coins to give to the ferryman, so they could be taken over to the underworld." Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon stands near his team as he studies the pictures of the two men.

"The underworld?" Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss looks at him.

"The land of the dead." Gideon briefly looks at her.

"That's creepy." Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau shudders.

"We are probably dealing with either a hit man or a vigilante."

"It could be a serial killer, Jason."

"Maybe, Aaron, but why kill these two men in two different locations? What's the connection?"

"There might not be a connection." Reid looks at everyone. "What if this guy is just killing randomly?"

"Then, we can expect the body count to keep rising." Morgan looks at Reid and then at Hotchner.

"JJ, Morgan and I will go to Long Island while you, Prentiss, and Reid go to Westchester." Hotchner casts one more look at the pictures of the two dead men. "Let's hope that we find something before this killer strikes again."

**F.B.I.: Missing Persons HQ**

Vivian walks over to Agent Elena Delgado and sits down next to her. She glances over at the phone records that Elena is going through. Sitting back in her chair, she shakes her head before looking away.

"Hey, Viv, we found this girl once, remember?" Elena looks at her. "We'll find her again."

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this one." Vivian looks at her. "The neighbor wasn't any help. She heard arguing and a struggle, but that was it. She didn't see anyone go into the apartment or out of it, and she hasn't really seen Kelly. Anyone could have been in that apartment."

"Hey, look at this. There are several calls to a Jack Davis. Want to take a ride and see what he knows?" She smiles at Vivian.

"Sure." She returns her smile.

ZIRA PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Agents Samantha Spade and Danny Taylor wait for Kelly's agent, Morgan Cedar to discuss the situation with her. They look up as the woman walks out of her office and heads toward them. Rising from their seats, they quickly meet her halfway and follow her back into the office.

"Kelly was just about to go on her book tour." Morgan shakes her head as she sits down in her desk chair. "The last thing that she needs is bad publicity. This hasn't made the news yet, has it?"

"No. This just happened about a few hours ago." Samantha sits next to Danny across from Morgan's desk. "Has their been any backlash since the book became a best seller?"

"What do you mean?"

"What she means is… Has there been any hate mail sent to Kelly or to you? Have there been any lawsuits that might have arisen from what was in the book? Has anyone come right out and threatened Kelly?" Danny leans closer to Morgan's desk. "Does anyone stand out?"

"There was one guy that was threatening to sue us over the content of his chapter."

"Who was that?" Samantha stares at Morgan.

"Jonathan Mitchell."

**Flashback**

Kelly storms into Morgan's office with a letter in her hand. Her face is wet from crying. Pushing her brown hair back, she waits for Morgan to finish her phone call.

"Yeah. Yeah. That sounds fine. I will see you then. Okay. Bye." Morgan hangs the receiver back into its cradle. "Kelly, what's the matter?"

"I just got served."

"What?" Morgan moves away from her desk and hurries to Kelly. "By who?" She takes the letter out of her hands.

"Jonathan Mitchell." Morgan looks at her. "He is suing me for libel."

"But you changed his name, description, and…"

"And not what he did to me." Kelly and Morgan exchange looks.

"Well, he's an idiot for suing you because everyone will now know how harshly he treated you." Morgan hands Kelly back the letter. "Hold on to it, but do not worry about it. It won't stand up in court." She puts a reassuring hand on Kelly's shoulder. "I've seen lawsuits like this disappear as fast as it appears." Kelly nods in response.

ZIRA PUBLISHING COMPANY 

"We went to court last week, and the lawsuit was dismissed." Morgan sits back in her seat. "I thought that was the end of that."

Suddenly, Danny's cell phone goes off. He excuses himself as he answers the call. He listens for a moment and then closes his cell phone. He looks at Samantha and then at Morgan. "Thank you, Morgan for your time." He gestures for Samantha to follow him out of the office. "We'll be in touch."

"Don't let this leak to the press!" Samantha turns to look at Morgan, who is now standing up by her desk.

"We won't." She follows Danny out of the office. "What's going on?" She hurries down the hall after him. "What is it?"

"Those prints found on the knife…" Danny turns to look at her. "They belonged to Jonathan Mitchell."

"And the blood stain?"

"It was Mitchell's blood not Kelly's." Danny leads the way down the hallway and toward the EXIT door.

Damien Kitchard's Residence 

Hotchner, JJ, Morgan examine the crime scene at Kitchard's home. They study two chalk outlines of the murdered victims. Exchanging looks, they continue to go over the scene.

"The killer seems to have come in from the front door. There are no signs of forced entry anywhere in the house." Hotchner stands near the front door. "He must have somehow unlocked the door and just walked right in."

"Then, he must have snuck into the kitchen, where Mrs. Kitchard was." Morgan moves toward the kitchen. "He got behind her and strangled her with the fishing wire that the police found. Then, he just waited for Damien to come home."

"But how would he know what time Damien was coming home?" JJ looks around the crime scene and shudders.

"He knew his work schedule." Everyone looks at Hotchner. "The killer must have been following him up to the moment, where he killed him."

"The killer must also have been watching Paul Donalds. Otherwise, how would he have known what time Donalds would get home from his morning jog?" Morgan stands near the outline of Damien's body. "So, this guy studies his victims before he kills them."

"But does he pick them at random, or is he hired to kill them?"

"You think this is the work of a hit man, Hotch?" JJ looks at him.

"I don't know, but from this crime scene, I can tell that we are dealing with a professional." He looks at JJ and then at Morgan.

**WOODBURY HIGH SCHOOL**

A young, Black girl stands before her peers and her teacher, Jack Davis. She holds a red folder in her hands as she reads from the paper clipped inside of it. Her eyes move from her peers to her teacher.

"My name is Hera. I am queen of the Olympian deities. I am daughter of Cronus and Rhey. I am sister and wife to Zeus…"

"You're married to your brother?" A young, White kid sits in the front row and starts to laugh. "That's incest, dude."

"Alex." Jack Davis gives him a warning look, and the kid slumps back in his seat. "Continue, Diana." He gestures for the girl to read her report, but she gives Alex a dirty look first.

"You do not want to test my power. Zeus is even afraid to challenge me. I have punished my rivals and also my own children. I am…" Suddenly, a shrill bell is heard outside the classroom.

"Out of time." Alex laughs.

"Hey, Alex." He looks at the teacher. "I expect you to give your report first thing tomorrow." Alex moans. "If you don't or if anyone else does not have their reports completed by tomorrow, you will receive an automatic F." The teacher smiles at everyone's groans. "For all those that presented your Gods and Goddesses today, please leave your report on my desk. That's it. Class dismissed." He watches his students leave the room when he spots two F.B.I. agents standing near the classroom door.

"Jack Davis?" Vivian approaches him with Elena only a few feet behind her. "I'm F.B.I. Agent Johnson, and this is Agent Delgado."

"How can I help you, ladies?" Jack Davis sits on top of his desk and crosses his arms over his chest.

"We're here about Kelly Alexus." Elena watches Jack Davis's arms fall to his sides. "She's missing."

"What? No. No, we spoke last night. What do you mean she is missing?" He stands up from the desk. "How can she be missing? She has a book tour to do."

"Well, she's missing. The police were answering a 911 call at her apartment this morning, and there were signs of a struggle. Now, we can't find Kelly." Jack Davis stares at Elena in shock.

"What did you two talk about last night?" Jack Davis looks at Vivian. "It could help us find her."

"It was a short conversation."

"What was it about?" Vivian takes a step closer to him.

"I just asked her if she had an answer yet."

"Answer?"

"Yeah. I asked her to marry me." He looks at Elena.

**Kelly Alexus's Apartment**

"Hello? Hi, Jack. I'm just packing for the book tour now." Kelly holds the phone to her ear as she stares into her closet. "I'm just debating what to wear."

"Nervous?"

"A little."

"You shouldn't be. That book of yours is really something. It is going to help a lot of people, a lot of women actually."

"I hope so. I didn't know what to expect after I wrote it, and I still don't know if there is going to be anything else caused from it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Let's talk about something else."

"Okay. So… Have you thought about my proposal?" Kelly stares at the phone in her hand as she continues to stand in front of her closet. "Kelly?"

"I'm still thinking about it. I'm sorry. It's just everything with the book and…"

"Look, I don't need an answer today, but I would like an answer when you come back."

"Okay. I can do that."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. It's just nerves. Look, I have to go. I'll call you when I'm at the hotel, okay?" She hangs up before Jack can answer and then looks back into her closet.

**WOODBURY HIGH SCHOOL**

"I knew something was wrong, but Kelly is like a wall when she gets like that. There's no way of getting the truth out of her until she is ready to tell me it." Jack Davis leans against his desk. "Was it that guy… What was his name… Jonathan Mitchell?"

"What do you mean?" Elena crosses her arms over her chest as she stares at him.

"That guy has been a pain in the ass ever since the book became a best seller. I think he wants money from it."

"Do you think he would do whatever he had to to get it?" Vivian looks at him and then at Elena.

"Yeah, I think he would, and if he hurt Kelly…" Jack Davis shakes his head.

Suddenly, Elena's cell phone goes off. She excuses herself from them. She listens for a moment and then hangs up the phone. "Viv, can I have a word?"

"Sure. Excuse us." They walk away from Jack Davis.

"That was Danny. He and Sam are on their way to Mitchell's place."

"Why?"

"He was the one that broke into Kelly's apartment and left the knife in her wall. It was also his blood on the carpet." Elena shakes her head.

"Was that about Kelly?" Jack Davis quickly approaches them. "Was it!"

"Look, take it easy. We'll let you know if we find anything out." Vivian walks away from him.

"But was it about Kelly!"

"It was about her, and our agents are looking into it." Elena follows Vivian out of the classroom.

"That's it!" They look back at him. "You tell me that she is missing, and that is it?"

"Look, when we know more, we'll contact you." Vivian looks at him. "Just don't do anything until you hear from us." Jack Davis nods as he watches them leave.

**Paul Donalds's Residence**

Jason Gideon, Prentiss, and Reid trace the scene of the second murder. They examine the house and any possible evidence left by the killer. Making their way back to the hallway of the house near the front door, their eyes move down to the chalk outline on the floor.

"It's like he let himself right into the house." Gideon turns to study the front door.

"He could have made a spare key to this door and to the door of the other victim."

"Or he is really good at picking locks, Prentiss." Reid looks at her. "This guy made sure that there was no evidence left behind. There weren't any prints here or at the other crime scene."

"We're dealing with a professional hit man." Everyone looks at Gideon. "Someone hired this guy to take out Donalds and Kitchard, but why? What is the connection between these two men?" He looks at his colleagues for answers but knows that they don't have any. "He's not finished yet." He looks away.

**Jonathan Mitchell's Place**

Sam and Danny cautiously approach Mitchell's home in Westchester. Their guns are held out in front of them. Slowly walking up to the front door, they find it open halfway, but there are no sounds from inside.

"F.B.I." Danny stands ready by the door. "Jonathan Mitchell?" He gestures to Sam, who follows him into the house. "Anyone home?"

Walking through the house, the agents find no trace of Jonathan Mitchell. They keep their guns raised in case of anything. Slowly, they separate and start to search the house.

"Sam!" She follows Danny's voice to the upstairs bathroom. "Look at this."

Walking up the stairs and toward the bathroom, Sam spots a towel stained with blood and curled up on the floor. A box of bandages is ripped open. Two shiny pennies glisten in the sink.

"What do you think the pennies are for?" Danny looks at Sam and then at the pennies.

"I don't know." She moves away from the bathroom. "Where do you think he went?"

"That's a good question. We should get a unit to watch the house just in case he comes back." Danny follows Samantha down the stairs and toward the front door. "Hopefully, he surfaces soon."

"Yeah." She looks at Danny and then walks out of the house.

**F.B.I HQ**

F.B.I. Agent Martin Fitzgerald watches Malone stand near Tek as they scan Kelly's emails. Catching his gaze, Malone looks at Martin and then back at the computer screen. Sighing, Martin's attention returns to the emails. "I can't believe we are looking for the same girl again."

"I know." Martin catches something in Malone's voice, but he doesn't say anything else.

"This is interesting." Martin and Malone look at Tek. "A few months ago, Kelly started to receive emails from a guy, who calls himself Charon. At first, he says that he loves her book, he bought the book, and he tells everyone else to get a copy. Then, two months ago, he emails her, asking if it would be okay if he did something for her."

"Like what?" Martin reads the email over Tek's shoulder.

"It doesn't say what, but she turns him down. Now, look at this. She sent Charon an instant message last night and just went on a rant about everything."

**Flashback**

"Why can't things be easy? I wish things could just be easy. That book was my way of healing myself. I thought I could help others like me. I did not expect to be harassed or threatened by the very men that hurt me. It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, and life should not have these monsters in it."

"I wish I could kill them."

"Wishing is childish, Kelly."

"Well, I'm not going to prison for them. I want my life back."

"Don't worry about them. They'll be gone before you know it."

"Can you erase Jonathan Mitchell while you're at it?" She gets no answer. "Hello?"

"Sorry. I thought I got disconnected. Mitchell, huh? Maybe."

"He's the main one turning my life back upside down."

"How about we meet tomorrow?" Charon gets no answer. "Hello?"

"Sorry. Where do you want to meet?"

"The bookstore on West 66th Street at… Five p.m.?"

"I don't know…"

"There will be people there, and there will be coffee. We could just sit and talk. That's it, and nothing else."

"Okay. I have to go."

"See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

**F.B.I. HQ**

"Can you get me an address on this Charon guy?" Malone looks at Tek, who shakes his head.

"I tried tracing his email account, but this guy is good. I can't find an address on him. It's like he's a ghost."

"I guess our only lead is the bookstore then." Malone looks at Martin. "Want to check it out?"

"Sure." Martin leaves the room.

"Jack, whoever this guy is, he knows how to cover his tracks."

"And if he has Kelly, then it's going to be hard to find him and her," Jack finishes Tek's sentence. "Who the hell did she get herself involved with?" He sees Samantha walk into the room.

"Jack, can I have a minute?"

"Sure. Tek, see if you can find this guy." He starts to leave the room.

"I'll try." He watches Jack exit the computer room with Samantha.

"What is it?" Jack turns to look at Samantha as they leave the room.

"I think you should go public with this case."

"What? Why?"

"I just spoke to Martin, and you can't get a trace on this Charon guy?" Jack looks away. "Look, we don't have a lot of leads like last time. You should consider going public. Maybe someone saw Kelly somewhere."

"I thought her agent didn't want us to go public?" Samantha stares at Jack. "Yeah, her agent called, and I spoke to her. If we can't get any more leads, then I will go public." He walks away from Samantha.

"We want to find her as much as you do, Jack." He stops walking. "However, if we don't go public, we may not find her." Nodding, Jack walks away. "We may not find her at all." Samantha stares down at her feet.

**B.A.U.**

"Sugar or spice, darling?"

Analyst Penelope Garcia swings around in her chair as she answers a call from Morgan. Her long, painted fingernails start to move over her keyboard. She talks into her headset as she stares at the computer screen. "There is no criminal record on either Damien Kitchard and Paul Donalds. They both seem to be unmarried, tax-paying citizens with apparently no social life. It seems like they are very active on the web, and I mean very active."

"How so?" Morgan holds a cell phone to his ear.

"They're both members of a website called Wrongfully Accused. They both have been posting messages about a book called _Strangers on the Street_."

"_Strangers on the Street_?"

"Yeah, it's a non-fiction book written by a Kelly Alexus. Apparently, they don't like what she wrote about them."

"Okay, Garcia. I'm going to need a list of all the members of that site and who the moderator is."

"Well, why didn't you ask a minute ago? I just printed out a list of the members, and the creator of the site is a Wesley Andrews located right in Westchester."

"You're a doll, Garcia."

"I know." She grins from ear to ear. "If you need anything else, you know where to find me." She disconnects the call.

Filing her nails, Garcia glances at the list of members on the website. Shrugging, she continues to file her nails. She doesn't see Jonathan Mitchell's name at the very bottom of the list.

**Bookstore**

Martin walks through the café part of the bookstore. He looks over the customers as they drink their coffee and read their books. Walking up to a cashier, he flashes her his badge.

"Do you remember seeing this girl?" He holds up a picture of Kelly.

"Oh, yeah. I can't forget her."

"Why's that?" He puts the picture in his jacket pocket.

"The rock that she was wearing." Martin stares at her. "Her diamond ring."

"She was wearing a diamond ring?"

"Yeah! But… The guy that she was with was not very happy about it."

**Flashback**

"So, you're going to say yes?" Kelly beams as she stares at her ring. "Does he know yet?"

"No, but I'm going to tell him tonight."

"Tonight." Kelly nods. "Why don't you call him now and tell him?" Kelly looks at Charon. "Why wait?"

"You almost sound jealous, Charon. Is that even your real name?"

"Does it matter!" Kelly winces from his sharp voice. "I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm happy for you."

"You don't sound like it. Maybe this was a mistake."

"Wow! Can I see your ring?" The cashier hurries over to her. "It's beautiful. You're so lucky."

"That she is." The cashier looks at the guy.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." She quickly walks away.

"I have to go, Charon. It was nice meeting you, but it's not going to happen again." She hurries away from the table as he continues to sit in his seat and watch her.

**Bookstore**

"He was kindof creepy. He just watched her go. Then, he called someone on his cell and left."

"Do you know what he looked like?"

"Well, he was wearing a Mets hat and real, narrow glasses. I think he had brown eyes."

"Thanks." Martin walks away from her and takes out his own cell phone. "Hey, Tek, is there any way you could trace a cell phone call from this location between five and six p.m.?"

"That's a bit tough, Martin. However, I was just going over Mitchell's phone calls today, and there was one between that time frame. Hold on a minute. Yeah, he got a call from someone at that bookstore."

"You're kidding me?"

"I kid you not. Damn it!"

"What? What is it?"

"I can't even trace this guy's cell phone. Who is this guy?"

"Obviously, someone who is keeping himself off our radars. Okay. I'm heading back now." He disconnects the call.

**Wesley Andrews's Apartment**

Gideon, Prentiss, and Reid approach Apartment 12B, which is Wesley Andrews's place. They hear loud music blasting from within. Stepping forward, Gideon knocks on the door, and a few minutes later, the F.B.I. agents are greeted by a man only wearing a towel.

"Can I help you? I'm in the middle of something." Gideon flashes his badge at him. "Is that supposed to impress me?" He looks at him.

"Well, if doesn't, how about two members of your website being murdered? Does that work for you?" The man stares at Gideon. "You mind if we come in now?" The man opens the door for the agents. "Thank you." Gideon walks past him. "You should put some clothes on too." His eyes fall on two young girls half-dressed standing in the living room. "And they should leave."

"You heard him, girls. Get out of here."

"Are they even legal?" The man gives Reid a dirty look.

"I don't think they are." Prentiss watches the girls hurry out of the apartment. "At least, one of them doesn't look older than sixteen."

"They're legal." The man hurries into his bedroom and quickly gets dressed. "I'm not stupid, you know." He walks out of the room.

"Of course not." The man turns to look at Gideon. "You're just blind."

"Look, you said that two members of my website have been murdered. Am I in danger?" Wesley sits down on a couch nearby. "Are you here to protect me?"

"Hardly. You're more of a suspect than possible victim." Wesley glares at Gideon. "Your website is for those wrongly accused. You were accused of raping a minor." Gideon sits opposite Wesley on another couch.

"She was wrong, and she admitted it after I was found not guilty."

"But here you are again with minors." Wesley looks down at his hands now folded together. "But we aren't here to discuss that." Wesley looks at him. "How did Damien Kitchard and Paul Donalds find your website? Did you find them after the book was published?"

"Book? What book?"

"_Strangers on the Street_. Apparently, they had characters in there that were based off them." Prentiss now stands next to Gideon. "How did you know how to find them?"

"Look, some guy, Charon brought a bunch of members to my site a few months ago. That's all I know. "

"Charon?" Reid approaches Wesley.

"Yeah. Charon. Why?"

"That's the name of the ferryman that brings the dead across to the underworld." Wesley looks at Gideon. "He deliberately led them to your site."

"But why would he do that?" Prentiss looks at him.

"Reid, you have the list that Garcia sent us?" He waits for Reid to take it out of his folder and then hand it to him. "Thank you." He looks the list over. "How did we miss this?"

"What?" Prentiss is handed the list. "Oh my God."

"What? What is it?" Wesley nervously watches them.

"Charon? He's killing the members of your website according to who signed up first." Gideon shakes his head.

"What?"

"Can I see the list?' Prentiss hands the list back to Reid. "Kitchard was the first to join the website, and then Donalds signed up right afterward. And that would make a Ramon Thomas the next victim."

"You have to stop him." Wesley stands up from the couch.

"Why? Would it be bad for your business?" Wesley looks down at Gideon.

Suddenly, Gideon's cell phone goes off. He looks at Wesley and then answers his phone. Standing up from the couch, he walks away from everyone. "Gideon."

"Jason, put on the news."

"Hodge? What's going on?"

"Just put on the news."

"Do you mind?" Gideon gestures to the TV.

"Good ahead, man." Wesley turns off his stereo. "Knock yourself out."

"What's going on?" Reid watches Gideon turn the TV on.

A breaking news story appears on the TV screen. F.B.I. Agent Jack Malone is making an announcement about _Strangers on the Street_ author, Kelly Alexus's disappearance. He addresses the reporters before him. "Early this morning, police responded to a 911 call from Miss. Kelly Alexus's apartment, where they found evidence of foul play. However, Kelly was seen later today, only to disappear right afterward. We ask that anyone who may have seen her especially in New York City around the time of five p.m. and seven p.m. to please come forward. Anyone that has any information will be kept confidential and will help us to find Kelly. Thank you." He walks away from the podium.

"Kelly Alexus? She's the one that wrote the book." Prentiss looks at everyone.

"And now, she is missing." Gideon turns the TV off.

"Are they working the same case as us?" Reid looks at him.

"Hodge?" Gideon puts the phone back to his ear.

"I'm here. Do you know who the next victim is yet, Gideon?"

"Yeah. It's a Ramon Thomas."

"Okay. I'll have Garcia get you his address. In the meantime, J.J., Morgan and I will head over to the F.B.I. headquarters in New York City."

"Okay." Gideon disconnects the call and then starts to leave the apartment.

"Wait! What about that Charon guy?" Everyone looks at Wesley. "Will he come after me?"

"I wouldn't be concerned about him." Gideon leaves the apartment, followed by Reid and Prentiss.

**Ramon Thomas's Residence – New Jersey**

Mrs. Thomas walks up to her front door and fumbles in her pocketbook for her house keys. Her fingers close in on them, and she is about to slip a key into the doorknob. Her eyes fall on something red on the doorknob, and a little of it drips onto the key.

Realizing that it is blood, Mrs. Thomas pushes the door open. A chill runs down her spine as the door gives way to a dark, empty hallway. Her footsteps break the silence, and she clutches the keys to her chest.

"Ramon? Ramon? Ramon!" Mrs. Thomas hurries into the living room and turns the light on. "Where are you?"

Turning every light on in the house, Mrs. Thomas makes her way into the kitchen. Her keys slip from her hand and into a pool of blood. A piercing scream escapes from her lips as she stares at the eyeless body of her husband with a bloody kitchen knife resting on his chest.

**F.B.I. HQ**

Knocking on Jack Malone's office door, Martin peers in to see him staring at a picture of Kelly. Letting himself into the office, he also looks at Kelly's picture. A moment later, his gaze locks with Jack, who puts the picture down on his desk.

"We're getting some leads from the press conference."

"That's good, Martin. Hopefully, someone did see her, and they can help us." Jack stares down at her picture. "I should have done the press conference earlier, though."

"You were asked not to by her agent."

"Has that ever stopped me before? I don't know why I am dragging my feet on this. I should be doing everything to find her, and I'm not!"

"Maybe I can help you with that." Martin and Jack turn to see Special Agent Aaron Hotchner standing in the doorway. "Apparently, we are working the same case."

"Can I help you?" Martin approaches Hotchner.

"I'm sorry. I'm Special Agent Aaron Hotchner from the B.A.U. I thought you knew we were coming."

"No, we didn't. This is Agent Martin Fitzgerald, and I'm…"

"Jack Malone. I saw you on the press conference." Hotchner shakes Martin's hand and then approaches Jack to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you." They shake hands.

"Jack, I'm going to check on those leads." Hotchner turns to look at him.

"Would you mind if my two agents, J.J. and Morgan were to assist you with that?" He then looks at Jack, who nods.

"Sure." Martin looks from Hotchner to Jack, and then he leaves the office.

"Please. Have a seat." Jack gestures to an empty seat in front of his desk. "So, how are our cases related?" He sits down in his own seat.

"Apparently, someone is killing off the people that Kelly Alexus based her characters off of. As it is, Ramon Thomas was just found murdered in his New Jersey home." Hotchner sits in the seat and then looks at Jack.

"So, you think Kelly's disappearance is connected to these murders?" Jack folds his hands together.

"Maybe. The killer is a professional. There is a chance that Kelly may have hired him to take out these individuals." Jack blinks at the statement. "The other theory is that the hit man was hired by someone else and may be holding Kelly."

"I doubt that Kelly would hire a hit man to kill these people."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I know her. She went missing once before."

"It doesn't mean that she wouldn't."

"Look, let me tell you what I know. Apparently, a Jonathan Mitchell has been causing problems for Kelly such as trying to sue her and attacking her in her apartment this morning. For all we know, he could have hired the hit man, and one of them could have Kelly right now."

"Then, I suggest that we don't argue about this." Hotchner and Jack study each other. "We examine everything that we know right now, and we try to find both the hit man and Kelly."

"Then, let's do that."

"Okay. The rest of my team will be here when they are finished in New Jersey." Hotchner stands up from his seat.

"You're wrong about Kelly, Agent Hotchner." Jack stands up from his seat. "She wouldn't be the one to hire the hit man."

"If that's true, Agent Malone, then she may be in even greater danger than we can imagine." They study each other again. "We need to find her fast."

"I agree." They both walk out of the office.

**Ramon Thomas's Residence – New Jersey**

Gideon, Reid, and Prentiss cross under a yellow police tape and into Thomas's house. Moving over to Mrs. Thomas, Prentiss turns to see Gideon and Reid head for the kitchen. The smell of blood is still strong in the air, and all three of them start to examine the crime scene.

"Mrs. Thomas?" The tear-stained woman turns to look at Prentiss as she enters the living room. "I'm Special Agent Prentiss. I'm very sorry for your loss." She sits next to her on the couch. "If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions."

"He took his eyes." Mrs. Thomas stares straight ahead.

"I'm sorry."

"The killer. He carved my husband's eyes out with a kitchen knife." She starts to cry again.

"Mrs. Thomas, did you see anyone hanging around your house? Anyone that might have been watching you or your husband?" The woman shakes her head. "Have you received any threats in the mail or threatening phone calls?" The woman again shakes her head. "Does anything stand out that could help us find your husband's killer?"

"There was a man that came to the house. He knocked on the door, and I answered it. He looked past me as if he was looking for someone else…"

"Like your husband." The woman nods. "Go on."

"Well, then he finally looks at me and says that he was sorry because he was at the wrong house. I never saw him after that."

"When was this?"

"Last month. My husband and I were having problems. I kicked him out because he cheated on me. He just moved back in last week." She wipes her eyes.

"Did anyone know about the affair?" The woman shakes her head. "What did this guy look like?"

"He had on a Mets hat and was wearing really narrow glasses. I could see brown hair sticking out from under the hat, and he has brown eyes."

"Anything else about him that you can remember?" The woman shakes her head. "Did he give you a name?"

"John. He said his name was John."

"Thank you. You've been really helpful." Prentiss lays a hand over Mrs. Thomas's hand.

"He would have killed me if I was here, wouldn't he?" Prentiss looks at the woman and then squeezes her hand.

Leaning over Thomas's body, Gideon examines his empty eye sockets. He turns to look at the knife still on his chest. Standing up, Gideon stares down into Thomas's empty eyes. "He was angry."

"What?" Reid turns to look at him.

"This guy is not sloppy, but he was sloppy here. He hits Thomas on the side of the head like the other two, but then he gets on top of him, cutting his eyes out with the knife. The trauma is enough to kill Thomas, but this guy doesn't even leave him with the pennies. He forgot them somewhere. He just kills him and leaves."

"What would make him switch his M.O.?" Reid comes closer to the body and almost gags when he looks at the empty eyes.

"Something threw him off. Something angered him." Gideon and Reid look at each other.

"Kelly Alexus."

"Yeah, but was it her disappearance that angered him?" He looks down at Thomas. "We should head to New York City soon. We'll find our answers there." He starts to walk out of the kitchen.

"What do you think he did with his eyes?" Gideon looks at Reid. "Do you think that he kept them?"

"All I know is that the unsub is now playing a different game, and we better find him soon before he attacks the next one on the list." Gideon looks from Reid to Thomas's body.

**F.B.I. HQ**

Danny and Morgan sit across from a woman in one of the F.B.I.'s interrogation rooms. Pictures of Kelly Alexus and Jonathan Mitchell are scattered across the table. Taking out a pen, Danny moves a notepad closer to him before looking at Morgan and then at the woman.

"I recognized her from the picture shown after the press conference." The woman looks from Danny to Morgan. "I knew something was wrong when I saw her on the subway earlier tonight."

"For the record, can we just get your name?" Danny looks at her.

"Lisa. Lisa Verin."

"Lisa, you said that you saw Kelly on a train." She looks at Morgan. "Where were you heading? Uptown or downtown?"

"Downtown. The next stop was West 42nd Street."

"Port Authority." Danny jots that down on his notepad.

"She was looking at a diamond ring on her finger. I was admiring it too when I noticed a blood stain on her shirt. When I looked at her, I realized that she was in shock."

"You're a doctor?" Morgan studies her.

"Actually, I'm a nurse, and I've treated patients in shock before. I was going to talk to her, try to get her to come with me to my hospital, which was only a few blocks away, but then she saw someone that made her… Made her freak out."

"Who did she see?" Danny looks at her.

"This guy." Lisa points to Jonathan Mitchell's picture.

**Flashback**

"Hey, you okay?" Kelly turns to look at Lisa. "You need help?" Lisa stands up from her seat and starts to approach her.

"I'm… I'm okay." Kelly turns to look in the next car, where she spots Jonathan Mitchell. "No…" His gaze meets hers as the train comes to a screeching halt. "What is he doing here!" The doors open. "Damn it!" She hurries out of the train.

"Wait a minute!" Lisa steps off the train when she sees Jonathan Mitchell hurry past her and after Kelly. "Hey! Someone stop that guy! Somebody stop him!"

**F.B.I. HQ**

"I was screaming for help, but there was no police around. Nobody did anything, and then they were gone." Lisa lets out a sigh.

"Anything about Mitchell stand out to you?" She looks at Morgan.

"Yeah. His right arm was in a sling. Why wasn't he mentioned at the press conference? Why wasn't his picture shown afterward?"

"Because the police were already looking for him, and we were trying to keep the focus on Kelly." Danny sits back in his chair. "Thank you, Miss. Verin for coming in." He stands up from his seat, and Morgan does the same. "We appreciate it."

"So, what happens now?" She remains seated.

"We find Kelly, and we find him." Morgan gestures to Jonathan Mitchell's picture.

Vivian and Elena look up from their desks to see Gideon, Reid, and Prentiss walk into their office. They watch them greet Hotchner and then Malone. Reid and J.J. walk away with them, but Gideon heads over in the direction of Vivian and Elena.

"Hi. I'm Jason Gideon." He stands by Vivian's desk

"I'm Agent Vivian Johnson, and this is Agent Elena Delgado. How can we help you, Jason?" She sits back in her seat as Elena looks at her.

"I heard you talked with Kelly's boyfriend earlier today."

"That's right." Elena looks at him.

"I was wondering if you would mind bringing him in for more questioning."

"Did we miss something before?" Elena looks at him and then at Vivian.

"No. No, I'm sure you didn't. It's just in cases like these, it's better to just go over everything again."

"You think Kelly's fiancée is the one who hired the hit man?" Vivian looks at Gideon, who stares at her.

"We won't know that for sure, but I would like to talk with him."

"Okay. We'll bring him in." Vivian reaches for her phone.

"And maybe check his phone records." The two agents look at Gideon. "Just in case." He walks away from them.

"Who is running this case? Us or the B.A.U.?" Elena's response is a shrug from Vivian who dials a number into her phone.

Entering the F.B.I. Headquarters, Jack Davis follows Samantha into an interrogation room. She gestures for him to take a seat. A moment later, she sits down opposite him.

"So, why did you call me in? Did you find Kelly yet? Is she okay?"

"Mr. Davis, we haven't found Kelly yet, and we don't know if she is okay."

"Then, why did you call me in? Why aren't you looking for her? Did you get Jonathan Mitchell?"

"No. We haven't found him yet."

"Then, what the hell is this!" He stands up from his seat. "What? Why aren't you looking for her!"

"Calm down, Mr. Davis." Samantha continues to sit in her seat.

"I won't calm down while he is still out there and after her! You should be looking for her! You should be protecting her from him!" He starts to pace around the room. "You shouldn't waste your time with me. I don't know anything."

"That's not true." He turns to look at her. "You made a call on your cell phone right after the F.B.I. agents left you. Who did you call?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who did you call?" She continues sitting in her seat as Jack Davis walks toward her.

"I didn't call anybody!"

"The more you waste my time, Mr. Davis is the less time that Kelly has to be found." Jack Davis moves over to his seat and sits back down. "I'm just asking you a simple question. Who did you call?"

"If you are going to accuse me of any of this, then I want my lawyer. I won't say anything else until I have a lawyer present." He crosses his arms over his chest. "I know my rights."

"Fine. I'll get you a lawyer." Samantha stands up from her seat. "I will say this, though. If you really love Kelly, then you should be doing everything to help save her." She moves toward the door. "She said, 'yes,' by the way." She walks out of the room as Jack Davis stares after her.

Nearly bumping into Gideon, Samantha takes a step back. She looks at him, and then she turns to look at Malone and Hotchner. Her gaze moves back to Gideon.

"Let me speak to him."

"He won't say anything."

"Yeah, he will." Gideon moves past her and into the room.

"Fine." She walks over to Malone, who only shrugs in response. "I don't know what he thinks he is going to get out of him." She turns to watch through the glass.

"Gideon is good at reading people." Hotchner looks at her. "He'll know how to open him up."

"I hope so because like Sam said, the more time we waste with him is the less time that Kelly has." Malone looks at Hotchner.

"Hi. I'm Jason Gideon." He walks over to the seat that Samantha was sitting in. "Do you mind?" Jack Davis shrugs as Gideon sits opposite him. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Hopefully, we can find Kelly soon."

"Then, you should be out there, looking for her."

"We are, but I'm interested in the other developments from today."

"Other developments?"

"Yeah. Some of the men that were mentioned in Kelly's book were found murdered. It looks like a professional did it."

"What?" Jack Davis stares at him. "The men in her book were murdered?"

"Yeah. Some of them were, but we have the others under police protection now. The one thing that I wonder is why would Kelly hire a professional to kill them."

"Are you kidding me! Kelly would never do that."

"Think about it. She goes missing just when the murders start. I don't believe in coincidence, so there has to be a connection."

"Why don't you look into Jonathan Mitchell?"

"Mitchell? He's just a fall guy. He's not the one who brought the professional in. I think it's Kelly."

"Leave her out of this. She's a victim. She's a survivor. She is not a murderer!"

"Then, who brought in the professional?" Gideon and Jack Davis exchange looks. "Was it you?"

"Me?" Jack Davis laughs. "I would never do such a thing."

"You withdrew $50,000 from your bank account a month ago. What was that money for?"

"What the hell are you doing looking at my bank statements?"

"We're just covering all leads to find Kelly and the hit man."

"Well, I didn't hire him."

"So, what was the money for?"

"None of your damn business!"

"Look, if you didn't hire him, then Kelly did, and when we find her, she will be arrested and brought up on charges for the murder of all those men…"

"Stop it! Stop it. She has nothing to do with him."

"Then, who brought in the professional!" Jack Davis winces at the words. "If it was not you, then it was her, and if it was not her, then it was you."

"Look, two months ago, I was at a bar. I had a bad day at work, and I needed a drink. And this guy with a Mets hat and real narrow glasses approaches me."

**Bar**

"Mind if I take a seat?" Jack Davis only shrugs at the man as he downs another drink. "Bad day at work?" He sees the black eye that he has. "Wow. Who hit you?"

"A kid." He orders another drink. "I had to suspend him for it."

"Well, kids need discipline." The guy orders a drink. "Beer, please." He watches the bartender walk away.

"Not this kid. This kid needs somebody to help him not push him away like I did."

"What's the kid's name?"

"Alex Jensen."

"Alex. Yeah, he's my nephew actually. Wow. So you were that teacher." Jack Davis takes a good look at the man. "Don't mind Alex. He's still torn up about his brother."

"His brother?"

"Yeah. His brother got lost in a bad neighborhood awhile back, and he was wearing the wrong colors. He got shot four times, and now he's paralyzed from the waist down."

"Jesus. I didn't know. It explains Alex's behavior, but I didn't know." Jack Davis continues to stare at the man. "I'm sorry. I'm Jack Davis, and yeah, I'm that teacher."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Charon." He briefly shakes his hand. "I'll tell you, teach, it's a damn shame." He drinks his beer.

"What is?"

"Alex's brother."

"I can imagine."

"You know, there is a surgery that could help him, and I've been trying to help my brother raise the money. I can't believe the insurance won't cover it. This kid could have a chance at walking again, and we have to struggle to get the money to do that."

"What are you talking about?"

"There is a surgery that could possibly fix Alex's brother's spine, but it's fifty thousand dollars. Can you believe that? They put a price on miracles now. Fifty thousand? Where the hell is anyone going to get that money from?" He finishes his beer.

"I can give you that money." Charon stares at him. "I have it."

"No. No. No." He shakes his head.

"Hey, if it can help Alex and your family, then let me do this. Let me make up for what I put him through today. I got him suspended and arrested for assault. Let me do this."

"You're a good man, teach, but I can't take your money." He starts to get up from his seat. "I have to try to come up with the money on my own."

"Look, if you need the money, then call me. I'll give it to you." He pulls out a business card and hands it to Charon. "Alex is a special kid, and if I can help him and his family, then I will." Charon snatches the card out of his hand. "Just call and let me know."

"Okay. You twisted my arm. I'll call if I need you." He walks away.

**F.B.I. HQ**

"That son of a bitch." Jack Davis shakes his head. "I'm such a fool." He looks up in time to see Hotchner open the door and gesture to Gideon. "He was the hit man, wasn't he?" Gideon only gives him a look before walking out the door. "I'm such a fool."

Outside the interrogation room, Morgan stands near Hotchner, Malone, and Martin. They look at Gideon and then through the glass at Jack Davis. Their attention then moves to a piece of paper that Martin is holding.

"Apparently, this guy has done his homework. Alex Jensen's brother was shot in a bad neighborhood, and he is paralyzed. But there never was a surgery for him." Martin hands Gideon a copy of a news story on Alex's brother.

"He waited for his opportunity to approach Jack Davis." Morgan continues to look at the man through the glass. "And Jack Davis bought every word of his sales pitch."

"He wanted to help the kid." Malone looks at Morgan.

"What if nobody hired this professional?" Everyone looks at Hotchner. "We've been running on the assumption that someone did, but what if he decided to do this on his own? What if the money that he got from Jack Davis is only to pin the blame on him?"

"Why would he put the blame on Jack Davis?" Martin stares at him.

"So he can get away without being found." Gideon looks at him.

"And how does Jonathan Mitchell fit into all this?" Malone crosses his arms over his chest. "Was this professional using him as well?"

"I believe he was." Hotchner looks at him.

"What about this theory? Now, this guy has done his homework like Martin said, so he knows all about Jonathan Mitchell and Jack Davis. However, what if it was never about the money, but it was all about Kelly?" Morgan looks at everyone. "He bought her book, he connected to her, and he wanted to be her savior. However, for him to do that, he had to take down the bad guys and make her fiancée here look like the villain."

"And in the meantime, he would use Jonathan Mitchell to go after her, so he could save her. And then once we take one of them down…" Gideon looks at Morgan and then at everyone else.

"What? What is it?" Malone looks at him.

"He would kill the other." Hotchner looks at him.

"So, if we have Jack Davis in custody…" Martin looks at him through the glass.

Suddenly, Danny approaches them. He realizes that they are all staring at him. His attention returns to Malone. "Jack, the police just found Jonathan Mitchell's body in a motel a few blocks away from here." He realizes everyone has a look on their face. "What?"

"Morgan, take Reid and Prentiss to the motel." Hotchner looks at him.

"Danny and I will go too." Martin follows Morgan away from the interrogation room.

"Did I miss something?" Danny looks at Malone.

"Just go with them, Danny." He watches him walk off. "So, how do we get this guy to come out of hiding?" He looks at Hotchner and Gideon. "Any suggestions?"

"Well, I bet he has Kelly. He must have gotten her from Jonathan Mitchell."

"Yeah, but Aaron, he's dead. He won't be telling us where to look."

"We know that, Jack." Hotchner looks at him.

"He has one last thing to do before he disappears with Kelly."

"And what's that?" Malone looks at Gideon.

"He has to take down one last bad guy." Gideon stares at Jack Davis, who is still sitting in the interrogation room.

**Motel**

The F.B.I. and B.A.U. Agents walk into the motel room, where Jonathan Mitchell's body was discovered by the office manager. They walk over to where Jonathan Mitchell is hanging from the ceiling fan. Exchanging looks, everyone starts to examine the crime scene.

"Martin, listen to this." Danny hands him Mitchell's cell phone, and they hear a voice message from Jack Davis.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch, if you hurt Kelly, I will kill you. I will hunt you down and kill you, and I will not kill you slowly!"

"I guess now we know who he called." Martin looks at Danny.

"If nobody rented the room and he left Mitchell hanging in here, then the unsub would know that we would find Mitchell immediately." Reid stares at Mitchell's hanging body. "The office manager would realize that this room wasn't rented out, which would make him come in here and find the body. Then, he would contact the police."

"What are you saying?" Danny looks at him.

"It's a distraction." Morgan looks at Mitchell's body. "He wanted us to come out and go to this crime scene."

"But why would he do that?" Martin looks at everyone. "What would be the point of that?"

"So he can go after his final victim." Prentiss looks at him. "Jack Daniels."

**F.B.I. HQ**

Jack Daniels is led outside the F.B.I. Headquarters by two police officers. His hands are cuffed behind his back. He is pushed into the backseat, and the officers get into the front of the car.

Malone and Hotchner stand nearby and watch the police cruiser drive off. They exchange looks. Slowly, they walk back into the building.

Halfway to the precinct, the police cruiser comes to a red light. The officers exchange looks as they wait for the light to change. They hardly look back to see what Jack Daniels is doing.

Suddenly, a van rams into the back of their car. It pushes them out into the street. The van rams them again, and the police cruiser is hurled onto the sidewalk.

Getting out of the van, Charon quickly hurries over to the police cruiser. He knows that he doesn't have a lot of time. He pulls out his gun as he reaches the car.

Suddenly, Charon is surrounded by police cars and F.B.I. vans. He spins wildly around as police officers and agents spill out into the streets, wearing vests and carrying guns. His attention returns to Jack Daniels, who is trapped in the back of the police car.

"Charon!" He turns toward Gideon. "It's over. Put the gun down." He still moves to where Jack Daniels is. "Charon, it is over. You'll never get Kelly." Charon looks back at him.

"You're wrong. I have her, and nobody else will have her."

"Put down your gun, Charon!" Jack Malone trains his gun on him. "It's over! Let Kelly go!"

"Why? So she can be hurt again by the men that don't understand her? I understand her. I understand her! He doesn't." He gestures toward Jack Daniels. "He doesn't deserve her!"

"I'm not going to ask you again." Malone etches closer to him.

"You kill me, and you will never find her. You'll overlook where she is. Sure, the trains will come and go, but she won't be by the tracks."

"Charon!" He hardly looks at Gideon as he readies his gun at Jack Daniels.

Suddenly, Jack Malone shoots him. He watches Charon fall to the ground. Lowering his gun, he and Gideon walk over to where Charon is gasping his last breaths.

"You'll never find her, never."

"You're wrong. You just told us where to look." Malone watches the last breath slip away from Charon.

Looking at Gideon, Malone sighs. He watches the police and medics check on the two police officers and Jack Daniels, who were in the police cruiser. Walking away from them, he gestures for his own agents to follow him.

**Subway Tunnels**

F.B.I. Agents check the tunnels with a K-9 Unit. They split up into groups and continue to search for Kelly. A few minutes later, Martin hurries ahead of them and toward a wall away from the tracks.

As he draws closer to the wall, Martin sees Kelly bound and gagged. She is nearly pushed into a crack in the wall to hide her from sight. Unconscious, Martin finds her pulse, and then he pulls her up into his arms. "I found her!" He carries her over to everyone. "We need to get her to a hospital."

**Hospital**

Waking up, Kelly sees Jack Daniels sleeping in a chair near her bed. Her gaze moves down to her hand, where she is still wearing her diamond ring. Realizing that she is being watched, she turns to see Jack Malone standing in the doorway.

"Hello."

"Hi. I didn't think I would see you again." She watches Malone enter the room.

"You gave us a very good scare this time around." Kelly turns to look at Jack Davis. "He never left your side." She looks back at Malone. "He does love you despite being an idiot." They both laugh. "You did good finding him."

"Thank you." She watches him start to leave the room.

"Oh, the next time you write a book, make sure to call me if you get any emails or calls from crazy fans." Kelly smiles at him and nods. "Get some rest." He leaves the room.

Walking out of the room, Malone is surprised to see Hotchner and Gideon waiting for him. They peer into the room to see Jack Daniels now holding Kelly in his arms. Exchanging looks, they walk down the hallway.

"You think she will be okay?" Hotchner looks at Malone.

"Yeah, I do."

"She's lucky to have found someone like you."

"You mean the other guy that was just hugging her?"

"No. I mean you." Gideon taps Malone on the shoulder and then walks away.

"If you ever need our help with a case, give me a call." Hotchner shakes Malone's hand and then walks away.

"Hopefully, I never will." He turns to look back at Kelly's room.

END.


End file.
